Leeds United Set To Lose 19-Cap International To Championship Rivals

Leeds United captain Liam Cooper could be set to leave Elland Road permanently this summer but may stay in the Championship, according to the latest reports.

The skipper’s ten-year tenure with the Whites came to a conclusion last week after his contract expired. However, TEAMtalk revealed earlier this month that the West Yorkshire outfit had tabled a fresh one-year proposal to the 19-cap Scotland international to keep him at the club ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, although the outlet also reported that Cooper was expected to turn down the board’s offer.

Following his arrival from then-League One side Chesterfield back in 2014, the central defender went on to make 284 appearances for Leeds in all competitions and played a massive helping hand in getting the club back to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years in 2020 when Marcelo Bielsa was in charge.

Unfortunately, the centre-half’s game-time has been limited over the past three seasons, especially since Daniel Farke took charge. The arrival of Joe Rodon, combined with his personal injury problems meant that Cooper played merely 16 times in the league for Leeds United in the previous campaign.

Cooper has since been made a free agent, but journalist Alan Nixon has now said that fellow Championship side Blackburn Rovers have opened talks with his representatives over a possible deal to bring him to Ewood Park as manager John Eustace looks to bolster his backline to avoid a repeat of last season’s gruelling fight for survival in the Championship.

Nixon, via Inside Futbol, has also stated that the Lancashire side are looking at other options too, including Hull City defender Sean McLoughlin and it is thought that the Irishman would cost Blackburn just £500,000 to secure his services.

Writer’s View

Rodon has now signed permanently for Leeds United after being included in a deal which saw rising star Archie Gray head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, the Whites did sell academy product Charlie Cresswell to Ligue 1 side Toulouse last week for a fee of £2.5 million.

While Cooper may no longer be a mainstay in Leeds’ starting lineup, he could still receive a lot of game-time next season as a squad player. Nevertheless, he may prefer to choose to sign for Blackburn Rovers, which may be preferable considering he would probably be one of the first names on the teamsheet under Eustace.

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